The Division of a Trinity
by Riku-Rocks
Summary: Friends who share the same bonds, though their paths may differ. They knew that it was foolish to think they would always be together on their islands, people change, they grow apart. A series of interconnected oneshots. A Sora Kairi Riku friendshp tale.
1. Trying to adjust

_**Rated T **__for vague references to fantasy violence & depression._

* * *

_**Trying to adjust:**_

Kairi had no real need to readjust to life on Destiny Islands.

"Well, I wasn't gone as long as you two were," said the auburn haired girl when the three friends were discussing it by the paopu tree a few weeks after their return from their victory against Organization XIII.

"Not to mention the fact that she was unconscious for most of the time that she was gone," Riku pointed out.

"Besides, you got to be home in-between journeys, so you've already readjusted." Sora stated.

"Uh, Sora? You're the one that brought up the fact that it was odd I didn't have to adjust at all to begin with," Kairi pointed out. "Now you're arguing the point for us."

"I only pointed it out because Riku said it was odd that I had few problems adjusting when he was crashing at my place last night."

"Well, people have commented that you are a little different too," said Kairi.

"Really? How so?" Sora inquired.

"Well, you're more confident, and you do have a bit of an ego now," answered the girl.

"You're more skilled with a sword now, too," added Riku. "Aside from that, you're the same old Sora."

* * *

Sora had readjusted to life on Destiny Islands almost seamlessly.

"Well, he was asleep for a whole year," Kairi said to Riku as they continued the conversation while walking home; they had already dropped Sora off at his parents house.

"Not the entire year," Riku corrected absentmindedly. "He just can't remember the little he was awake for."

"Same difference, plus, everyone here forgot about him while he was sleeping. So, between that and everyone disappearing when the world vanished for awhile, it doesn't feel like he was gone for that long to everyone here;" she added after a moment of thought.

"That explains the people here, my point was that Sora has still experienced enough to have changed a little more," said Riku. "I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that he had friends with him the whole time; he didn't have to face anything alone," the silver haired boy added pensively.

"Do you think it would have different for you if you weren't all alone the whole time?" Kairi asked interestedly; even she and Sora had never heard Riku's full side of the story.

"Yes, I think so," Riku answered softly.

Kairi played with her hair nervously, "Have you considered speaking to someone about it? I mean, Sora and I have told everyone all about what we did while we were gone. It's going to be old news soon enough. Maybe if you didn't keep it al in…"

"That's not a story I'm interested in telling," Riku stated as they approached the Mayor's house.

* * *

Riku was unable to readjust to his old life on the islands.

"Do you think it's because he's just changed too much?" Sora asked Kairi while they were supposed to be doing homework during a shared free period at school the following day. "Not that that's not understandable, I mean, he was conscious during the whole experience and he went through a lot."

"That's true, but, do you really think he's changed that much?" asked Kairi.

"Well… yeah, he was never this quiet before, and he seems less secure with himself now." The brunette answered. "I first noticed it after we defeated Xemnas. He said that he was sorry he used to think he was better at stuff then me, and then he said that in truth, he was always jealous of me."

"Really?" Kairi dropped all pretence of schoolwork. "Did he say why he jealous of you?"

"He said he wished he could live his life the way I do," answered Sora, "_just following his heart_."

"I think that may be it," Kairi responded thoughtfully.

Sora blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I think the problem is that he _hasn't _changed… and neither has anything else here, including us." Kairi rolled her eyes when she saw the look of confusion on Sora's face. "He wished that he could _follow his heart_? Don't you understand, Sora? Riku was never able to be true to himself here, and I don't think he ever will."

Sora looked affronted, "why not?"

"He never has been _just Riku _because he was always trying to live up to the impossible expectations that everyone else had for him, even you and me. We all expected him to be better then everyone else, we never seemed to realise that he was, and _is_, just a kid too."

Understanding seemed to be slowly dawning on Sora. "That's why he always felt so trapped here."

"And why he _still_ feels that way," said Kairi. "People here expect him to be the same Riku… the Riku that they _thought _he was, and his new quiet, subdued demeanour along his refusal to talk about his side of the story you told only adds an enigmatic edge to him that makes people here assume even more of him."

* * *

While readjusting to life on Destiny Islands was different for each of the three friends, readjusting to their friendship was no problem for any of them.

When Sora got finished with his homework, he went in search of Riku, whom he found sitting alone on the paopu tree, as he was prone to do since the three friends returned home. Sora ran across the bridge and jumped the tree to lean against it.

There was no sign that the silver-haired boy had noticed the other's presence until he asked Sora a simple question. "Nothing's changed, huh?"  
"Nope," Sora answered and realised that he and Kairi were right about their friend. "Nothing will."  
"What a small world." Riku's voice was too vague for Sora tell what he meant by that.

Therefore, like any good friend, Sora tried to bring some optimism into the conversation. "But part of one that's much bigger."  
"Yeah."  
"Hey Riku...what do you think it was…the door to the light?"  
Riku gracefully jumped down from his perch and turned to Sora. He reached out and tapped Sora's chest, right above his heart. "This."  
When Riku drew his hand away, Sora brought his own hand up and felt his heartbeat. "This?"  
Riku nodded, "Yeah. It's always closer than you think."  
Sora smiled, and then Kairi called both boys as she ran out to join them. The auburn-haired girl held a bottle that contained a letter from King Mickey, which informed the trio that something Riku and Sora did when they saved Kingdom Hearts left it so that it was still possible to travel between the worlds for those who had the means and the knowledge.

Sora was glad that he would be able to see his friends from other worlds again, but he also had a feeling that he would not be seeing a friend on this world for much longer.


	2. Deciding to move on

_**Rated T **for vague references to fantasy violence & depression._

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own, hold any rights to, or am in any way affiliated with, Kingdom Hearts._

* * *

_**Deciding to move on:**_

Riku gave up on fitting in on the islands quickly. He took some tests to graduate from school early. It was hard to accept, but not unexpected, when he told his friends he was leaving right after. He was still too young to live alone legally, but they all knew he could take care of himself, and no one would try to stop him. He went to Radiant Garden, in the hopes that seeing the place after so much restoration would help to calm his lingering shame and nightmares.

"I just have to do this," the silver haired youth told his friends before he left. "I'm sorry; I know you expected us to stay together forever…"

"However, that really wasn't practical," Kairi finished his sentence for him when he could not. "You weren't going to last here much longer anyway, I think."

"Yeah, I'd rather be separated and know you're okay then watch you suffer here," Sora agreed.

"I can't promise that I'll see you soon," said the aqua eyed boy, "but you'll hear from me; I won't disappear this time."

"You better not," Kairi said. "We've yet to be able to find you when you don't want to be."

"Promise you won't forget about us," the blue-eyed boy said thickly.

"Still a total sap," Riku answered throatily, then cleared his throat and added, "I promise."

Riku found some relief for his shame when he discovered that the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee did not think ill of him at all, in fact, they generally considered him a victim turned hero when it came to the Heartless issue. He decided to remain there, and joined in their efforts to restore the city to the glory it had known when Ansem the Wise ruled.

* * *

Kairi liked the islands, and could have had a promising future there, being the Mayor's daughter and all. However, she always felt left out when she heard Sora talking about his many adventures across the worlds; or when she heard people speculating about what Riku had been doing while he was helping Sora from the shadows (as the brunette called it). She was the only member of the trio to graduate with the rest of her class, and it came as little surprise when she decided to move off the islands shortly after graduation. The auburn haired girl moved to Twilight Town, rented an apartment with Olette, and got a job at the accessory shop. 

"I promise I'll keep in touch with you guys," she said when Riku came to pick her up, and the three friends were having lunch together for what might be the last time.

"I know you will," responded Sora with a smile. "Besides, it's not as if I don't know how to find you if you don't."

"You didn't think we were about to stop watching out for you just because you grew up, right?" Riku added with a teasing smirk.

"You guys are the best friends a girl could ever ask for…" Kairi added before the tears finally began to fall.

"Don't worry Kairi," Sora said as he laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Even if we're apart, our hearts will always remember each other."

"Some things never change," Riku pointed out, causing the other two to turn confused (and still tearful) eyes to him. "You two are still total saps." The other two laughed and then Kairi left to start her new life, which for the first time in her memory did not prominently include Sora and Riku.

* * *

Sora continued living with his family until he gradated high school, which happened a year later then usual, since he missed over a year of classes. He remained on the islands after graduation, got a job working as a server in a local deli, and rented a small house near the beach. 

_I love all the friends I made while I was travelling the worlds, but I like being home and just being Sora… not one of the Keyblade's chosen wielders_. The spiky haired brunette answered in a letter when his friends asked him if he ever missed seeing other worlds.

_That's good then_, Kairi responded, _I guess you have always wanted to stay there and be a lazy bum. :)_

_You've always been happy on the islands_, was Riku's response to Sora's decision. _I suppose it makes sense that you would be the one to stay there._

_At least we will always know where to find you_, said Kairi, _and that you will always remember us… the way we were._

Riku's answer was similar, _I think you're the only one whose memories of the way we used to be aren't tainted in some way_. _I'm glad you were able to keep them. Kairi was right Sora; don't ever change._

Sora continued to treasure his memories of the three of them together, even as he made new memories with other friends.


	3. Learning to follow your heart

_**Rated T **__for vague references to fantasy violence & depression, mild language, and suggestive themes (you can thank Page of Cups and JediEmpress for Riku's pairing)._

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own, hold any rights to, or am in any way affiliated with, Kingdom Hearts._

* * *

_**Learning to follow your heart:**_

When Sora and Kairi received a message from Riku a few months after he left the islands, which mentioned that he found someone who staved off his nightmares and taught him how to dream again, they decided that a visit to Radiant Garden was in order. Fortunately, it was spring break, so they did not have to miss any more school to see the errant teen.

They were not sure what to expect, since their friend had never before showed any interest in romance, or people for that matter. Despite this, they were quite surprised when the 'someone' turned out to be Cloud Strife.

"I never would have paired them together," Sora said as he and Kairi went for a walk together in order to sort out their thoughts before either of them said anything regretful to Riku. "Everyone else here seems to have accepted it really well, though. It sounds like Leon, Aerith, and Tifa figured it was coming for awhile now."

"What can they have in common? He's, what, seven years older then Riku," said Kairi, "and big, strong, skilled, handsome... I guess I could see the initial attraction."

Sora cracked a grin and tried not to laugh. "Your becoming a fan-girl, aren't you?"

"Shut it," Kairi glared and took on a thoughtful expression. "He's kind of annoying the way he like, _always_ stays by Riku. I'm not sure if he's possessive or protective, and didn't you say he was moody and involved with the darkness…?"

"I'd say a little of both, but mostly, Cloud's protective of the things he cares about. As for the darkness…" Sora suddenly stopped walking and appeared to think for a moment. "That's it… They both allowed themselves to be used by the darkness in order to do what was needed to set things right. So, Cloud understands what Riku went through better then anyone else, and he knows what it's like to get in too deep."

"That is a hard thing for most people to understand," Kairi responded sympathetically, "It never even occurred to us that Riku was probably just a frightened boy who was all alone when all that happened."

Understanding worked its way into the girl's expression. "Riku can show his fears and insecurities, as well as his hopes and dreams with Cloud."

Sora nodded, "For once there are no expectations or assumptions; Cloud just sees Riku as Riku, and that's all he wants him to be." The brunette smiled broadly.

Kairi returned the smile, "They do seem happy."

The other two teens teased Riku good naturedly about being with not only a guy, but one who graduated high school when Riku was entering junior high, and that Riku was obviously the uke (as Kairi phrased it) or the 'girl' of the relationship (as Sora did). Then they dropped some poorly veiled threats to Cloud on what would happen if he ever hurt Riku. Finally, the two friends gave Riku and Cloud their blessings before returning home.

* * *

After moving to Twilight Town, Kairi spent most of her time with the friends she had there, especially Olette, Pence, and Hayner. Considering the way she began mentioning him not long after her arrival, it came as little surprise to Sora and Riku when they each received letters stating that Kairi was exclusively going out with Hayner. Sora decided to take the opportunity to see some of his old friends again, while Riku decided to return the favour of threatening your friend's boyfriend. 

"He seems alright," Riku commented as the friends walked around Twilight Town after Hayner had to go to work.

"I've always liked him," said Sora. "He, Pence, and Olette were all really nice to me when we first met."

"Me too," said Kairi. "They even tried to protect me when Axel came for me. We've all gotten really close since I moved here."

"He does have a bit of an attitude," said Riku, "but I think Kairi's up to handling that, plus he'll need one to survive her intact."

"Hey! I'm not that bad," Kairi huffed.

"You can be," answered Sora. "His attitude problem seems to have improved since I first met him, though."

"He's matured a lot since we first met," Kairi commented. "I think he mainly just keeps it up a little to maintain his reputation. Seifer and Fuu would never let him live it down if he acted all sweet in public like he does when we're alone."

"Did we need to know that?" asked Sora.

"I can understand that," Riku responded with a slight nod. "It's the same with Cloud. He acts like the tough guy he thinks he's supposed to be when we're around people, but when it's just us, he's a total-"

"Now, I _really_ don't think I need to know this," Sora cut in, causing the other two to turn their attention to him.

Kairi put her hands on her hips. "You can fight swarms of Heartless, but you can't handle hearing about your friends' love lives?"

"_Love lives_, I don't mind," said Sora, "but hearing about Cloud and Hayner's lovey-dovey sides and your guys' sex lives is where I draw the line." This caused his friends to break into two very similar mischievous grins.

Kairi tilted her head, in a mock-innocent gesture. "So… does that mean you don't want to hear that Hayner wears boxers with cute patterns like hearts, Moogles, or bunnies on them?"

Riku raised an eyebrow and looked like he was about to ask an innocent question; "or about the little sensuous sounds that Cloud makes when he takes me?"

"I knew you were the uke!" Kairi suddenly exclaimed as she pointed at Riku triumphantly.

"Ah! Too much information!" Sora blushed and then began running toward the ice cream shop that they were slowly heading to before. His friends smiled at each other and knocked fists before running after him. Once again, the two visiting friends gave their blessings to the happy couple and dropped some (not so veiled, in Riku's case) threats to Hayner about treating their girl right, before heading back to their respective homes.

* * *

Given their cheerful dispositions, seemingly endless energy supplies, and child-like natures, it surprised very few people when Sora began seriously dating Selphie Tilmitt, least of all Riku and Kairi. Despite having known the girl for most of their lives, the distant two decided not to break with tradition and travelled to Destiny Islands soon after to see their friends. 

"She's toned it down quite a bit," said Kairi as the three wayward friends walked to the docks from the diner they had eaten lunch with Selphie in.

Riku nodded his agreement, "she has finally learned the difference between conversing with someone and talking at someone."

Sora stifled a giggle, "yeah, she's matured, but she's still Selphie."

"I think she's the only one who could match your optimism," Riku added.

"You are a hard person to keep up with," Kairi smiled, "but I think she can do it."

"One of the things I like about Selphie is that she doesn't have to completely understand something to accept it," said Sora. "It comes in handy when talk of Heartless and Keyblades comes up. Plus, we both want and like the same things, and it's really easy to just talk to her and be around her."

Riku smirked and watched at his blue-eyed friend through his peripheral vision as they walked. "It sounds like someone's getting more serious then they let on."

Sora's face took on a rosy hue as Kairi turned on him with a beaming smile. "Has mister 'no romantic details' finally figured out what Riku and I have been going on about?"

Sora rubbed the back of his neck nervously and chuckled. "Well, I have been thinking about asking her to share a paopu with me…since, well… you know how she loves those old traditions."

"So, you're doing this in place of a promise ring type of thing?" Kairi asked with a grin.

"Yeah, something like that," said Sora. The spiky haired brunette weaved his fingers together behind his neck. "What about you two; is anything getting really serious yet?"

Kairi's grin broke into a smile that nearly split her face. "Well, Hayner's been nervous about these _big_ plans he has for our anniversary coming up, and he keeps recruiting Pence to help him. So, naturally, Pence tells Olette everything since they're going out, and then she tells me. Anyway, he's setting up this completely romantic recreation of a scene from this movie that I've made him watch, like, a dozen times, _and_… he's been looking at engagement rings!"

Sora's smile nearly matched Kairi's blinding one. "That's great!"

Riku grinned kindly at his friend, "Congratulations, Kairi."

"Thanks," Kairi's beaming smile lightened to a sweet one. "What about you, Riku?"

While not as manic as his friends' smiles, Riku's grin warmed up enough for his close friends to know that he was ecstatic. "Cloud sort of asked me to move in with him…"

"When did this happen?" Sora asked.

At the same time, Kairi said, "_sort of asked_…?"

Riku rolled his eyes but his small smile remained as he explained. "Last week everyone started going through their stuff for Aerith's charity yard sale for the orphanage. Well Cloud _really_ cleaned out his place, so I asked him if he was planning on redecorating or something, since his house was so bare. He said he wanted to make room for my stuff and _our_ stuff, and then he asked when we should start moving me in. So we're doing it after I get back."

"Oh, that's so sweet!" Kairi practically squealed.

"I told you were turning into a fan-girl," commented Sora, which earned him a slight glare from Kairi. Then he returned his attention to Riku. "That's great, Riku. I'm glad you guys are so happy."

Riku nodded to say that he was, indeed, happy. "Thank you, both of you."

"You're welcome," Kairi turned to Riku. "You and I should be glad we're not the ones who have to shop for rings. From what I hear, it sounds like Sora's going to need all the help he can get when the time comes."

"Hey!" Sora looked at his two best friends with an irritated expression that soon melted away. "We'll see who's laughing when I don't have to plan my wedding. We all know the girl does that."

Kairi's beam returned, "I can't wait." Her expression turned mock thoughtful, "Although Riku should go without a veil for his, since his hair is so nice."

As Sora laughed, Riku narrowed his eyes. "You two are lucky the ferry is coming…"

After seeing their old play islands, the paopu tree, and the secret place, Kairi and Riku returned to their worlds and lives, but not until after they gave their friends their blessings and, of course, threatened Selphie.


	4. Accepting your fears

_**Rated T **__for slightly suggestive themes (you can thank Page of Cups and JediEmpress for Riku's pairing). __**Mild spoilers**_.

**_Disclaimer: _**I do not own, hold any rights to, or am in any way affiliated with, Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

_**Accepting your fears:**_

Kairi, like many, had been afraid of the dark as a small child. However, she outgrew this fear as most do. Her involvement in the Kingdom Hearts Incident (as the teens had taken to referring to it), did not seem to affect her opinion of the dark at all.

"You're not the slightest bit scared of the dark?" Sora asked incredulously for the umpteenth time during a shared break at school one day.

"For the _last time_, Sora," said Kairi with thinning patience, "_no_, I am _not_ afraid of the dark in the least."

"How come?" asked her spiky-haired friend. "It separated your heart from your body! You were worse then a coma patient!"

"Exactly; I don't remember any of it," answered Kairi matter-of-factly. "So why would I be affected by it?"

"You were attacked by shadow Heartless _after_ watching me fade away into darkness _and_ seeing Riku's spirit, or whatever it was, come to warn you," Sora countered. "Shouldn't that have left some impression?"

"Yes, it left me with the impression that I should probably be glad I was unconscious for the events leading up to then," responded the auburn-haired girl.

"Gah, never mind…" Sora muttered.

Kairi always slept with her curtains drawn, like any sensible girl, but she also had the ability to fall asleep and remain down for the count as soon as her head hit the pillow... a feat that never failed to fascinate her friends.

* * *

Sora had also been afraid of the dark as a child, but the fear only made itself known when he was alone. If Riku (or Kairi, as she was allowed to until they reached puberty) was sleeping over, then he considered everything frightening a possible source of adventure. Eventually, he too outgrew this fear. Unfortunately, it came back vigorously after his dealings with the Heartless… in particular, when he briefly became one. 

"Well, it has to be really dark for it to affect me," Sora explained to his friends when they consorted on their little island after school that same day. "As long as there's a little light, I'm alright."

"How much light is 'a little light'?" asked Kairi.

"Er… like if the moon is close enough to full, then I just leave my curtains open enough for some moonlight to shine through," explained the brunette.

"What if it's only half full?" Kairi pressed.

"Then leave my curtains open more," Sora replied.

"What do you do when there is no moon, or it simply isn't bright enough?" Riku inquired from his perch on the paopu tree.

Sora rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "heh, promise you won't laugh?"

Both of his friends nodded, Kairi looking concerned, Riku intrigued.

"I use my old nightlight from when I was little," Sora admitted sheepishly. "It's not bright enough to keep me awake. Like, I said, I just need a little light that I can see."

Kairi was obviously trying not to giggle, "You mean that nightlight that looks like a little sailboat?"

Sora nodded as a deep blush tinted his cheeks.

"Don't worry, Sora, we won't tell," said Riku, and Kairi nodded her agreement.

"It's completely understandable anyway," added the silver-haired boy, much to Sora's relief.

Sora continued to sleep with a small light on for many years, but he slept soundly, and none of his friends ever teased him about it. For that, he was forever grateful.

* * *

Riku was never afraid of the dark as a child, and he still was not necessarily afraid of the dark… as long as it was _**dark**_. As in _total_ darkness, for his fears lied not in the darkness itself, but rather with the concern in what might be lurking there. 

"I don't get it," said Sora as he and Riku walked home together that evening. "Either you're afraid of the dark or not, right? How is there a middle ground?"

"I'm fine as long as there's either enough light for me to see the entire room, or my general surroundings, like it is now." Riku indicated the streetlamp and moonlit street the teens were walking on. "Or if it's pitch black… so that I can't see anything at all."

"How do you feel better in total darkness then you do with a little light?" asked Sora curiously.

"I was in the dark realm or wearing that blindfold long enough to be comfortable with not being able to see," Riku explained. "If the light gets to that level of dimness where I can make out shapes but not distinguish them, or see shadows moving across the walls, then I'm not so comfortable."

"Then you're afraid?" Sora asked and Riku responded with a hesitant nod. "So, what do you do then? How do you fix that?"

"I usually sleep with every light source blocked out," said Riku.

"What; like hanging blankets over the curtains and pushing towels under the door?" Sora asked with a chuckle.

Riku shrugged embarrassedly and then nodded.

"Oh, sorry," muttered Sora. "What if you can't do that?"

"Then I sleep with my bedside lamp on," answered Riku.

"Well, I won't tell if you won't," replied Sora with a smile.

Riku never fully recovered from his issues with shadows, and often had nightmares when he did meet the conditions that allowed him the comfort to sleep. The only other person ever to learn of Riku's fear of the darkness was Cloud, whose comforting embrace finally ended the aqua-eyes boy's night terrors.

Sora was pleased when Riku told him of this achievement… only he wished his friend had given less detail when he told him.


	5. Making Friends

_**Mild spoilers**_.

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own, hold any rights to, or am in any way affiliated with, Kingdom Hearts._

_**Author's Note:** In case you haven't noticed, these are not following a linear timeline. In other words, thay are not any order. Sorry._

* * *

_**Making friends:**_

Sora had always been a people person. He thrived in crowds and got on well with just about everyone he met. The spiky-haired boy always preferred being with his friends to being alone. This is why Kairi and Riku were generally unsurprised by the number of comrades their spiky-haired friend made during his journeys across the worlds.

"It is a little odd though," commented Kairi one day as the three friends hung out at the play islands.

"How so?" asked Riku, as he turned to look at her from over his shoulder. He was standing in the water, while the auburn-haired girl was sunning on the shore behind him. "Sora goes to the post office to buy stamps and makes a friend…he's always been that way."

Sora sat up from where he had been lying on the sand beside Kairi. "That's only happened twice!"

"Only because it's rare to actually meet new people around here," countered the teal-eyed boy.

Kairi turned onto her stomach and rested her chin on her folded hands. "I just meant that…well, you would think Sora would have been a little too busy or distracted to make friends on _every_ world he travelled to during the whole thing."

"But I had to fight heartless on every world," Sora pointed out as he leaned back on his elbows. "Plus I was usually looking for one of you guys or the king, and I needed to find the door to the heart of each world and figure out who was controlling the heartless on them…and then I had to try to figure out the whole Organization XIII thing… So I needed help from people who knew the world, and we became friends while we were helping each other."

"But weren't you a little too busy for conversation while you were searching and fighting?" asked Kairi.

"It wasn't just one long ongoing battle Kairi, there were breaks in the action," said Sora with amusement in his voice. "And it's not like I could search whole worlds by myself, and I wanted to know what was going on in the worlds I was visiting, so I talked to people."

"Kairi, you were in Twilight Town for less than a day and you made three friends." Riku stated as he retreated to the shore and sat on the other side of Sora.

"That's different," said Kairi disdainfully. "I wasn't searching or fighting. You opened a portal that led me to straight to Sora's friends. Of course, I talked to them. What was I supposed to do while I was waiting for him to return?"

"Riku was in Twilight Town for a lot longer than that and he didn't make friends," Sora pointed out.

"That's because Riku doesn't make friends," Kairi retorted.

"What are you two then?" responded Riku, "Long term acquaintances?"

"You know what I mean," said the auburn-haired girl. "You don't socialise. You and Sora have been friends since before either of you can remember, and I think the only reason you tolerated me for the first year was that Sora liked me so much."

"That's not true," replied the silver-haired boy. "That was only for the first few months. I decided I liked you after the starfish incident."

Sora laughed so hard at the memory that he could not speak for a moment. After he had composed himself, he looked at the blue-eyed girl. "Riku just isn't a people person, Kairi."

"And Sora just _is_," added Riku.

"I guess that's the only explanation," conceded Kairi.

Sora continued to make friends everywhere he went, and more importantly, he remained friends with every one he made. Even when he did not see or contact them for long periods of time, they would just pick up where they left off during the last meeting.

* * *

Riku had been called antisocial, introverted, and a loner before he even struck his teens. He generally preferred to be alone, and there were few people he felt comfortable with anyway. The trials he suffered through during their escapades with Kingdom Hearts and the heartless did not help either. 

"How can you not have met him before?" asked Sora in disbelief as the three teens left Scrooge McDuck's ice cream parlour. He and Kairi had decided to visit their wayward friend to see how he had settled into his new home.

"I've seen him around," replied Riku with a shrug. "I just haven't stopped to introduce myself or anything."

"You moved to Radiant Garden over a month ago," said Kairi incredulously. "You haven't even _tried _to talk to anyone here have you?"

"Aren't you the girl who once said I don't make friends?" countered the silver-haired boy. "Why would you have expected me to just start talking to people here within a month of moving?"

"He does have a point Kairi." Sora's voice was slightly muffled by the large mouthful of sea salt ice cream he had bitten off. "I still can't believe he moved to this world."

"At least you have friends here who can keep an eye on him for us," Kairi responded as she watched the blue-eyed boy eat in morbid fascination. "Since we know _he'll_ never tell anyone if he's in trouble."

"Why would I be in trouble and who are you planning to have watch me?" Riku deadpanned.

"You're a sixteen year old Keyblade master who's always alone," said Kairi, earning no protests. "Why wouldn't you be in trouble at some point?" She added the question as if it were the most obvious conclusion one could reach.

"Well, while we're here, you're gonna have to spend some time with Leon and the others. I want to see them too." Sora smiled and linked his fingers behind his neck as he walked.

"I've met a Leon…dark hair, light eyes, has a dry sense of humour?" questioned the teal-eyed boy. "He's Cloud's friend."

"Cloud?" Sora repeated as he dropped his hands and turned to his best friend. "You know Cloud? Why didn't you tell me?"

"If you mean Cloud Strife, then yes, I definitely know Cloud." Riku paused and took in his friends' irritated expressions. "It's not like I intentionally didn't mention him. I just never thought to."

"So are you and this Cloud guy friends then?" asked Kairi with a cheerful expression, clearly glad to see that Riku had not kept himself completely isolated.

"Yeah…I suppose you could call us that," said Riku as though he truly had not thought about it before. The silver-haired teen shrugged. "We get along well, and I like him a lot."

"Well, will I meet him while we're here?" questioned Kairi, still beaming.

"Yeah…you will," answered Riku with an oddly anxious undertone. "Not until later though. He's working today."

"You haven't met Cloud?" asked Sora, turning to his auburn-haired friend.

"When would I have?" she asked logically. "He wasn't in Traverse Town when I met Aerith, Yuffie, Leon, and Cid…and I didn't come here during your last journey."

"You haven't met Tifa either then, have you?" question Sora, whose previous excitement seemed to have returned.

"Nope," answered Kairi, "But Yuffie and Aerith mentioned her. Is she here?" She directed the last query at Riku.

The teal-eyed boy nodded, "Mm-Hm. She owns and runs a tavern here, near the Burrow."

"Have you met _her _at least?" asked the spiky-haired teen. "She's a good friend of Cloud's."

""Yes, I have," answered Riku, "And I know. He introduced us. She refuses to let me pay for my sodas now." He turned to Kairi, "She's really nice, you'll like her."

"You definitely will," added Sora. "Let's go see what everyone is up to."

Riku continued to remain isolated from most people. There were a handful of people (including an anthropomorphic mouse) whom he remained close to, and that was more than enough for him.

* * *

Kairi was rather social, but she could not get along with just anyone. The auburn-haired girl was also quite comfortable in her own company. At parties and at school, she would drift from one clutch of friends to another, or simply wait by herself, drawing or daydreaming until one or more of her friends approached her. 

"Done making the rounds yet?" Sora asked Kairi during a party her parents were throwing. She had just returned to her friend's side after having greeted about thirty people.

"Ha-ha, very funny," she replied drily. "My dad's the mayor…when he throws a party, people come."

"Do you know all of those people?" asked the spiky-haired boy.

"Of course, do you think I would ditch you to greet strangers?" asked Kairi in return.

"No, it just that _I_ don't even know some of these people," answered Sora as he took in the various occupants of the rather large sitting and dining rooms. "And I know almost everyone on the islands."

"Well that's certainly true," agreed the auburn-haired girl.

Suddenly she looked around the room more pointedly, as if looking for something.

"Hey…" she turned to Sora, "Where's Riku?"

"He's hiding in the garden," responded Sora with a glance toward the kitchen door, beyond which, he knew the house's back door lay. "I think there's just too many people here for him."

Kairi looked toward the kitchen as well. "I know…I shouldn't have black mail- I mean, bugged him into coming."

Sora shot his friend an exasperated look. "Kairi, you said you were only joking about doing that…"

"Well, if he's going to travel the worlds again, then he's going to have to learn to work a crowd." Kairi responded a little too defensively. "He is the other chosen wielder, and he did as much toward saving the worlds as you did…people will want to-"

"People don't know what he did, and that's the way he likes it Kairi," interrupted Sora lightly. "Besides, even if they did, Riku wouldn't want that much attention. The only reason I don't mind is that everyone who actually knows about that stuff are my friends, so they don't hero worship or anything like that."

"I suppose you have a point," Kairi said as she smiled and waved to someone across the room.

"Besides, it looks like we can just leave the crowd control to you if that ever comes up," added Sora with a grin.

Kairi laughed, "Unlike you two, I have best friends, friends, and acquaintances, so I know how to handle each. I don't become buddy-buddy with _everyone_ like someone I know does, nor do I avoid all human contact like another dear friend of ours."

Sora took a proffered hors d'oeuvre from one of the wait staff and thanked him before answering. "I have best friends _and _friends _and _well…not really on the last, I guess."

"You're too extreme for acquaintances," replied Kairi as she waved across the room again and called, "Hi Selphie!"

"I just don't get the acquaintance thing," Sora said.

Kairi appeared to be refraining herself from rolling her eyes. "Acquaintances are people you know, but not well enough to consider your friends. You know, it's a step process; you cannot just be friends with everyone you meet. There either isn't time to get to know each other that well, or you just don't enjoy their company enough to spend that much time around them."

"If you like someone, then you make the time to get to know them," Sora answered as if it were really quite simple. "And if you don't like them, then you don't befriend them."

This time Kairi did roll her eyes. "Sora, it isn't always that simple. What if you don't dislike them, but your personalities just aren't compatible enough to spend a great deal of time together without getting on each other's nerves? Or if you dislike them, but have to spend some time around them, like at work or school?"

The blue-eyed boy blinked once and then stared ahead blankly for a moment.

"Great, now you broke him," said Riku as he approached Sora's other side.

"I was trying to explain to him why some of us have acquaintances," Kairi told their silver-haired friend.

"I find ignoring said acquaintances seems to work fairly well," offered Riku. "Except for evil villains bent on conquering the worlds…they don't seem to like being ignored."

"See?" said Sora as he gestured toward the aloof teal-eyed boy. "You should just either be friends with people or not."

"What about people you don't know well enough to decide about yet?" countered the auburn-haired girl. "Riku didn't know what Maleficent was about at first, and you didn't know anything about Leon and the others when you first met. Didn't you say you fought Leon when he first approached you?"

"Well, that's why you get to know them," replied Sora, who seemed completely unaffected by the argument.

"Did you decide that Leon and Yuffie were you're friends within minutes of meeting them?" asked Kairi pointedly.

"Er…yeah," answered the spiky-haired boy.

She blinked a few times and then laughed. Riku grinned and shook his head slowly.

"You really should have seen that coming," remarked Riku.

"I suppose so," replied Kairi with a smile. "I'm going to go say hi to some more people. I'll see you guys later."

Kairi continued to prefer quality to quantity when it came to friends. She was always well-liked, but did not mind if she never got particularly close to everyone she got along with, and was quite fine with her many associates and friends just as they were.


	6. Discerning Preferences

_**Rated T **__for mild language, and suggestive themes._

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own, hold any rights to, or am affiliated with in any way, Kingdom Hearts._

_**Discerning Preferences: **_

Sora had always befriended nearly everyone met, found beauty in just about anything, looked for the good in everything. He could be just as affectionate with Riku as with Kairi. Therefore, his friends had always assumed that he was bi…at least since they learned what the term meant. Because of this, Sora's 'coming out' did not go as he had expected.

"What do you mean, 'you know'?" the spiky-haired teen asked incredulously, looking blankly from one unsurprised friend to the other.

"Well what could we mean?" questioned Kairi, looking at the boy sardonically. "We know…It's not like it took a genius or a psychic to figure it out."

Blue eyes blinked in surprise, "But…but how did you guys figure it out?"

"Well, it's just sort of obvious," responded Riku without batting an eye. Kairi nodded as if it were the most practical response one could expect.

"What do you mean, _obvious_?" asked Sora. "The only time I've showed any _obvious _interest in someone was the crush I had on Kairi before everything happened earlier this year…or last year, or...whatever, you guys know what I mean."

Riku snorted at that last part; Sora always got confused about the timing of the events surrounding their involvement with Kingdom Hearts, due to having slept for a year. "That's where the bi part comes in…you're attracted to _both _genders."

Sora looked confused, "But I only showed interest in a _girl_…I _still _mostly have and only show interest in girls."

"Yeah, because the way you got about Riku during that whole calamity you just mentioned was completely normal for a straight guy," replied Kairi with a roll of her eyes.

"It could be," replied Sora with a slight blush. "He's my best friend…and I didn't know if he was okay for all that time! He could have been dying for all I knew! He could have-!"

"Calm down, Sora," Riku said gently as he looked at his friend quizzically.

"Yeah, that's definitely a normal reaction," commented the auburn-haired girl dryly.

"If you were like that all those weeks you spent looking for me, then I think I need to write to Goofy and Donald to apologise," said Riku as he tried to conceal an amused grin.

"You watched me for most of that time," replied Sora, giving his friend a half-hearted glare. "You know I wasn't that bad…" The spiky-haired teen turned said glare to the girl who was watching in barely concealed amusement; "And I didn't just look for him either, Kairi. I did other stuff, too."

"You're actually _annoyed _that we aren't shocked and appalled?" asked Kairi, instead of responding to the blue-eyed boy's more recent statements.

"Well, er…no, but I just don't get why you guys thought it was obvious," answered the spiky-haired teen.

Riku smiled at his best friend, "Because we know you that well."

"Oh," the blue-eyed boy smiled in return, "That's good, then."

Kairi rolled her eyes again, "Of course you weren't just looking for Riku the whole time; you don't have the attention span for that."

"Hey! I do to!" demanded Sora, now completely forgetting that this was supposed to be his 'coming out' discussion.

Sora kept finding attractiveness in everyone, and his preference continued to be obvious to those who were willing to see it. Although he did not feel the need to announce it after the first time…His real friends would know anyway.

* * *

Kairi was always the type to speak her mind and wear her heart on her sleeve. When Riku called her on being lazy, she never denied it. When Sora called her weird, she actually laughed. When she had an opinion, she made sure it was known. Therefore, the fact that she was straight was established before it ever would have been questioned. 

"You know who has really sexy hair?" questioned Kairi as Sora frowned at his reflection…his own spiky locks truly were a hopeless cause.

"If you say 'Riku', I'm going throw this comb at you," commented Sora as he concentrated on the part he was attempting. "I can tell that on my own without you rubbing it in."

"Excuse me…_what_?" Riku asked, giving his friend an odd look.

Sora stopped mid combing. "You really haven't noticed?"

Teal eyes blinked at him, "_You _have…?"

Sora returned his attention to his reflection, "Er…who were you going to say, Kairi?"

The girl's shoulders were shaking with suppressed giggles. "I was talking about Leon."

"Leon?" repeated Sora. "I never really noticed…I mean, it's _Leon_…"

"How could you not? He's so handsome…" Kairi's voice drifted off dreamily, causing both boys to stare at her, Riku directly with an arched eyebrow, and Sora through the mirror with both brows drawn.

"This is the guy whose name is really Squall, right?" question the teal-eyed boy.

"Yep," replied Sora, "Brown hair, greyish eyes, long scar between his eyes…"

"I guess girls really do dig guys with scars," commented Riku facetiously.

"Why isn't she talking about this with Selphie and Penelo, then?" questioned Sora.

"Oh, come on…" Kairi exclaimed. "I don't find girls attractive, but I can still tell if one is pretty or not."

"I don't think I'd call Leon pretty," Sora responded. "He's too…I don't know…"

"Manly?" suggested Riku. "I think handsome works though…so does hot."

Sora choked on nothing as his eyes widened at his friend's comment.

"See?" Kairi gestured towards Riku while looking at Sora. "Riku is comfortable enough with his own masculinity to at least admit that Leon's hot." The auburn-haired girl offered the silver-haired boy an approving nod.

Sora looked at Riku through the reflection again, "You guys really think Leon's hot?"

"I guess…" Riku shrugged lightly and looked out the window, as Kairi nodded with an, "Oh yeah."

"He's like, ten years older than us…maybe more," commented the spiky-haired boy as he dropped his comb on Kairi's dresser in defeat.

"It's not like either of us are considering dating the guy," said Kairi. "I just think he's good looking, and Riku is secure enough in himself not to deny it. Come to think of it, why are you so nervous about admitting this?"

"I'm not; I just don't see Leon that way…hey, look at the time. Riku, aren't you going to get ready for the party?" asked Sora, turning to look at his friend.

"No…I think I'll pass," answered the teal-eyed boy.

"You're not going?" Kairi looked at Riku's back with a slightly concerned expression. "I heard that those girls who keep trying to get you to talk to them will be there…Rhinoa and Quistis?"

"If I wanted to talk to them, I would," stated Riku softly. "You guys have fun, I'm going to go home and get a jump on my homework."

"So, who are you trying to impress tonight anyway?" the auburn-haired girl asked with a grin.

"No one," Sora deadpanned, although the sudden red hue his face took on gave him away; "Let's go…Don't wanna be late, right?"

The girl giggled as she stood, "_Right_…"

Kairi continued to be so open with her thoughts and opinions that her preferences in any area were never questioned. Even those not terribly close to her could tell what and whom she liked and disliked.

* * *

Riku had always been a loner; the only people he really talked to were Sora and Kairi. Due to his slightly antisocial nature, no one noticed his lack of interest in dating before his yearlong absence, and he was unsociable _and _enigmatic after it, causing no one to question it then either. Therefore, his preference in the area never even occurred to his friends until Cloud entered the picture. 

"So…you're gay?" asked Sora blankly.

"Yeah…is that an issue?" asked Riku with a note of concern that only his friends could pick up on.

"Of course not," Sora hurried to assure his best friend. "It's just…how did we miss that?"

"I think we were paying such a close eye on his emotional health after everything that happened, that we just didn't notice," offered Kairi sympathetically.

"I don't exactly advertise the fact either," commented Riku.

The auburn-haired girl looked thoughtful for a moment. "Actually, it makes sense now that I think about it."

"Yeah," agreed Sora, "You never did check out any girls back home."

The teal-eyed boy smirked, "I never checked out any girls anywhere."

"Oh, so you've always known then?" questioned Kairi.

"Well, I've known for a few years," replied the silver-haired teen.

Sora looked at his friend accusingly. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

"Because I didn't feel the need to announce my preference like you did," answered Riku easily.

"Besides, he wasn't exactly keeping it from us," commented Kairi, "And Destiny Islands isn't used to handling controversial subject matter."

Riku snorted, "I think I introduced them to enough controversy as it was."

"Hey, none of that was your fault," stated Sora firmly, earning him a disbelieving look from his silver-haired friend.

"Okay, can we at least agree that _most_ of it wasn't your fault?" asked Kairi.

"Well…not directly, I suppose…,"conceded Riku, albeit half-heartedly. Even so, this caused the girl to offer him a sweet smile, and Sora to beam at him.

"I'm starting to like Cloud's influence already," Kairi said in a slightly teasing tone. "I guess he wasted no time in breaking you in."

A single silver eyebrow arched. "I am not 'broken in', thank you very much."

Sora snorted. "Yeah, because it's so like you to give in that easily," he stated sarcastically.

"Wait a minute…" Kairi looked at Riku thoughtfully. "Does this mean you were serious when we were talking about Leon that time in my room?"

Sora looked confused for a moment before his eyes widened, "I forgot about that!"

"If either of you mention that around Cloud, I'll main you," stated Riku.

"I take it he's the jealous type?" asked Kairi.

"Oh, yeah…" replied the teal-eyed boy.

"Okay then," said Sora with a smile, "We won't mention it around Cloud; right Kairi?"

"Of course not," responded the auburn-haired girl with a grin, her hands clasped behind her back.

"…But I am so telling Leon," Sora blurted out before turning and running off, with Riku close behind and quickly gaining.

Kairi's grin broadened as she turned and strolled in the direction that Leon had actually told her and Sora he would be heading in before they left to meet Riku.

Riku continued to keep his thoughts to himself, and not advertise his preferences and emotions, but it did not matter because those that he wanted to know would care enough to stick around until he was ready to tell them.


	7. The eye of the beholder

_**Rated T: **__Just because that is what this series is rated as a whole. I would actually consider this one K+._

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own, hold any rights to, or am affiliated in any way with, Kingdom Hearts._

* * *

_**The eye of the beholder:**_

Kairi always knew that she was beautiful. She was not conceited, nor did she focus only on her looks, but she never questioned them either. She knew she was not beauty queen material, but she was definitely quite pretty, and she was confident enough to admit that. Overall, she was satisfied with her appearance.

"I feel pretty, I feel pretty; I feel pretty, and witty, and Ack!" Kairi jumped and spun around when she accidentally met Sora's eyes in the mirror. "Sora! How did you get in here?"

"I followed Riku," answered the Blue-eyed boy with a smile and a shrug.

The auburn-haired girl turned to the doorway, where Riku was leaning against the wall with a smirk. "Riku, this is the mayor's house…you're not supposed to just slip in."

"Then you need to tell your dad to get better security," replied the silver-haired boy.

"So…feeling pretty today?" asked Sora in barely contained amusement.

"I'm pretty everyday, thank you very much." Kairi turned back to the mirror to finish shaping her eyebrows.

"…And so modest, too," commented Riku,

"False modestly is over-rated," responded Kairi as she turned to gather her school things. "It's not like I'm full of myself, and people have eyes, so why lie?"

"Besides, she wouldn't be our Kairi if she were," stated Sora as he slung his book bag over his shoulder.

"True," agreed Riku as he adjusted his own bag. "So is the pretty girl ready yet? I didn't get chased around Mr. and Mrs. Hiruma's house by an angry Sora to be late."

"You dumped a pitcher of water over my head!" cried Sora indignantly.

"You wouldn't wake up," replied the teal-eyes boy evenly with a small shrug.

Kairi laughed as she slung her own bag over her shoulder. "Okay, I'll skip asking how I look, since we all know the answer. Let's go before we're late…wouldn't want to waste the water."

Kairi always was very pretty, and equally aware of the fact, but she also had the personality to match.

* * *

Sora always questioned his looks. He did not think that he was ugly at all, but he really would not call himself handsome either. He was usually comfortable with falling somewhere in the middle, and did not stress over the matter of his appearance very often, but occasionally, he needed a little reassurance.

"I would describe you as 'cute'," stated Kairi, as she looked Sora over after the spiky-haired boy asked about his appearance one day.

"_Cute_?" repeated Sora before releasing a groan. "Great…I'm going to be stuck with being cute forever…"

"What's wrong with 'cute'?" questioned Kairi. "A lot of people like cute."

"Cute is for animals and little kids…I'm never going to be taken seriously," whined Sora.

Kairi offered a sympathetic look, but the door to Sora's room opened before she could respond.

Riku stopped immediately after turning to face them, took in both of the other teens' expressions, dropped his bag to the floor beside him with a _plop _and turned to Kairi with a questioningly raised eyebrow.

The auburn-haired girl gave a brief nod before tilting her head toward the spiky-haired boy. "Sora doesn't want to be just 'cute'."

"Sora you still have another growth spurt to go, and besides, you're a great guy and everyone likes you," Riku stated as he walked over to sit in the other boy's desk. "Why does it matter what you look like?"

"That's true," agreed Kairi. "Your personality would override your looks no matter what you looked like. Besides, you do look good…you have beautiful eyes and a really nice smile."

Sora could not help but smile at his friends. "I guess you're right. It's not like either of you would be any less beautiful if you weren't so pretty."

Kairi blinked a few times. "That doesn't make much sense as a sentence, but I think we get your point and the same is true of you."

"Okay, now that we're done being emasculated, are we going to finish this project?" asked Riku with a small smile as well.

Sora chuckled, "Sure. I guess 'pretty' isn't much better than 'cute' for a guy, huh?"

Sora always believed he fell somewhere in the middle when it came to looks, but he was still happy with whom he was.

* * *

Riku always was one of those rare individuals who honestly did not realise that they were attractive, and genuinely did not care either way. He truly and simply did not think about his appearance. His mind was too preoccupied with other thoughts, schemes, concerns, and ideas, to bother considering what he looked like.

"How can he not notice?" commented Sora as he joined Kairi at the lunch table.

"That's just how he is, I suppose," replied Kairi. "What I don't get is how he can never acknowledge his hair…"

"What do you mean?" asked Sora as he watched their silver-haired friend crossing the nearby field.

"I mean, he never flicks it out of his eyes, or tosses it over his shoulder, or just…acknowledges it's presence in any way," answered the girl as she absentmindedly toyed with the ends of her own auburn hair.

"I rarely acknowledge my hair," commented Sora with a shrug.

"Yours doesn't fall onto your eyes and halfway down your back," replied Kairi.

"True… Well, what about the way he moves?" questioned Sora. "How can you be that graceful on accident?"

"Good genes? You only question that because you're kind of clumsy," remarked the auburn-haired girl.

"I just haven't grown into certain parts of me yet," replied the spiky-haired boy irritably.

"I still don't get the hair. I have mine cut at the salon and styled and everything and it still doesn't just fall with a casual elegance like that," complained Kairi as she poured dressing on her salad.

"Your hair looks great anyway, Kairi," commented Sora offhandedly as he took a bite of his burger.

"Hey," said Riku as he sat on the other side of the table. "What are you guys talking about? You looked sort of perplexed."

"We were just talking about hair," answered Kairi lightly.

"Okay…" answered Riku with a slight chuckle. He never understood how people could discuss hair and the like. "Oh, I got a good idea for the haunted house this year…"

Riku always was beautiful, and completely unaware of it, but he never paid any mind to his appearance anyway.


	8. Conscience and Consequence

_**Rated T: **__For slightly dark themes and references to fantasy violence.

* * *

_

_**Conscience and Consequence:**_

Sora had fought a lot throughout most of the events of Kingdom Hearts. At the time, he never thought of it as a war, instead, it had been an adventure. He never thought about the Heartless, Nobodies, and Humans (or various worlds equivalents, for he still was not sure what beings like Ursula or Oogie Boogie counted as) that he had killed. It was just something he did and he never really thought on or regretted any of it.

"Sora…?" The named teen looked at his best friend, already slightly surprised. Since their return, the silvered boy never started any conversations. "Can I ask you something?"

The cerulean-eyed boy put down the MP3 player he had been programming, knowing from the nervous but determined tint to his friend's eyes that this was going to require his complete attention; "Yeah, of course. You really shouldn't have to ask that."

Turquoise eyes dropped again now that they had acquired the brunette's attention. "It's about Axel…about this death…I wasn't sure if you would want to talk about it…"

Sora blinked in confusion. "No, I don't have any problem with it. I just felt funny when it happened 'cause Roxas wasn't all…in me yet…or however that works. Why are you thinking about that now anyway?"

"I've thought about it since we got home," commented the silver-haired boy. "I just haven't said anything before."

"Oh…okay." The spiky-haired boy was even more confused now. "So what did you want to ask about it?"

"Did he…-" The silvered adolescent hesitated before starting again. "Did it seem like he felt pleased, or at least content, with his decisions?"

"I-I guess so;" Sora scratched the back of his neck as he tried to recall the Nobody's final moments. "He said he just wanted to see Roxas again, and he made a few weak jokes…but, Riku, he couldn't actually _feel _content or regret."

"How sure of that are you?" questioned the cyan-eyed teen quietly.

The cerulean-eyed boy blinked before answering simply. "I'm positive. Nobodies don't have hearts…they _can't _feel-"

Riku sighed exasperatedly and rolled his eyes as he grabbed his messenger bag and stood gracefully. "Yeah, I've heard…Thanks anyway."

"Hey, Riku- Wait;" The spiky-haired boy stood, but remained at the table they had been using. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," the silvered adolescent stated over his shoulder softly as he left. "I'll see you later."

The cerulean-eyed boy looked around the library in confusion, a few people turned back to whatever they had been doing before they looked up to watch the silver-haired teen leave. "I don't get it…what did I say…?"

Sora was not cold or cruel at all by nature, but he truly could not see anything wrong with the deeds he had performed during that time in his life. He never even stopped to consider that he could feel something was wrong with them. He always did what he felt was right at the time, and never questioned it afterwards.

* * *

Kairi was never truly active in any battles during the events of Kingdom Hearts, and the brief ones she was involved in were simple. Even when she used the Keyblade Riku loaned her, she never actually killed anything, and was probably lucky that she did not injure herself. While she hated being left behind by her friends, she was actually glad that she never had to fight for her life or make the choice to end another life.

"Hey Kairi," Sora greeted as he sat beside his friend during their lunch break in school; "Have you seen Riku today?"

"Yeah," the auburn-haired girl looked up from her plate. "He seemed distant though…kind of bummed too."

"Tell me about it," the cerulean-eyed boy began eating his lunch as he talked. "He's been moping around a lot lately…he even left me in the middle of studying at the library yesterday."

"That's weird," commented the inky-eyed girl. "You know, there's something else too…he asked me about Naminé the other day."

"Really...?" Sora tilted his head curiously. "He asked me about Axel before he got all bent and left yesterday. I wonder why he was thinking about them."

Kairi looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hey Sora…you know how Riku seemed to know about the Organisation's members and how they all knew who he was? Maybe he knew some of them…he definitely knew Naminé. Do you think maybe he feels bad about killing some of them?"

The spiky-haired boy drew his brows in a bemused expression. "Well, it's not like he went a murdering rampage or anything…and they weren't even human. I don't see why he would feel guilty about that. I mean, we _had _to fight them."

"Well, do _you _ever feel bad about any of that?" asked the auburn-haired teen.

"Of course not," replied Sora immediately, still looking puzzled. "Why would I?"

"I don't know…I know everything you guys fought were Heartless and Nobodies, and bad guys but…I wouldn't want to have to kill anything." The girl's face scrunched up at the thought.

Sora chuckled. "Well, if we ever have to save the worlds again, and you still don't want to stay behind, then you can just stand on the sidelines and cast Cure and Aero on me, okay?"

"Okay, that sounds good." Kairi's brows suddenly drew in confusion, "Hey, what about Riku?"

"Trust me, he doesn't need help nearly as much as I do," replied the spiky-haired brunette.

The inky-eyed girl chuckled. "I believe you."

Sora grinned and then suddenly deadpanned; "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing…" Kairi continued to giggle throughout lunch.

Kairi was not a scholar or a warrior by nature, so she rarely wondered about the after effects of battle and having to fight for one's life, friends, or the greater good. She knew that she could not truly understand Riku or Sora's take on their recent deeds and she probably never would. She honestly preferred it that way.

* * *

Riku had to fight for his life on a daily basis during the events of Kingdom Hearts. Despite that, he had never technically killed anyone, for the beings he did were all Heartless, Nobodies, or his own replica. He still found that he regretted destroying Zexion and his replica, for even though they had no hearts, they had still been people in his opinion; he just had not formed that opinion yet when committed those actions.

"Hey…uh, what' going on?" Sora looked back and forth between Kairi's sympathetic expression and Riku's downcast face.

"Oh good, you're here!" Kairi turned from Sora to Riku. "You should talk to Sora about this; he'll probably understand better than I do."

"I didn't want to anyone about it," commented the silvered adolescent. "I only mentioned it to you because you haven't stopped pestering me for nearly two weeks."

Ignoring the cyan-eyed boy's reply, the auburn-haired girl turned to their friend. "Riku's having some sort of survivor's guilt or warrior's remorse or something…talk to him about it."

The spiky-haired boy looked down at his best friend, who looked like he wanted the ground to split open and swallow him. "He doesn't really seem to want to-"

"Sora, talk to him." Kairi shot the blue-eyed boy a rather impressive glare. "He needs to talk if he's going to find closure."

"Great, she's been reading those magazines again…" Riku rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but you know how she gets," agreed Sora with a grin. "So what's this warrior's guilt or whatever about?"

The inky-eyed girl put her hands on her hips. "He feels bad about the members of Organisation XIII that he killed…just like I said before."

Blue eyes blinked and then glanced down at the silvered teen. "Riku…you shouldn't feel bad about that. They didn't have feelings."

"But they were still people," replied the cyan-eyed boy softly.

Sora's brows drew in confusion before he smiled lightly at the other boy. "No, they weren't…they were Nobodies. They didn't have hearts. They couldn't feel."

Riku shook his head slowly. "You never really talked to any of them. Naminé was kind and patient, Axel was passionate and loyal. They both had thoughts, desires, and feelings. There's no reason to think the other members of the Organisation were all that different."

The spiky-haired boy looked as though he were genuinely concerned for his friend's state of mind. "They were just pretending to feel, Riku. They didn't have hearts. How could they feel? They just acted the way they thought they should from the memories they had of their Others."

"Whatever…" The silvered adolescent stood and turned before he began walking away slowly. "I better go; I have a report I need to finish. I'll see you both later."

Kairi stopped Sora from following by gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Give him some time, Sora. I don't think this is something either of us can really understand. Come on, let's go start out history homework."

Riku did not necessarily regret most of what he did after he escaped from the dark realm. He had done what needed to be done, and did everything in his power to protect and save his friends. That did not mean that he was content or pleased with his actions. He just did not know of any other way to handle the situation.


End file.
